"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the
truth"
(3
John 4, NIV).

Key
Thought:

The apostle John is one of the most loved characters from the Bible.
What can we learn from him?

Achurch tradition describes the apostle
John as an old man living in Ephesus. Because of his feeble condition, his
followers had to carry him to church. As they met together, his only spoken
words were, "Little children, love one another."

His followers tired of hearing John repeat the same thing all the time and
asked, "Master, why do you always say this?"

"It is the Lord's command," he replied. "And if this alone be done, it is
enough!"

Whether true or not, this story captures the essence of this "son of thunder"
who was eventually transformed into a "son of love and grace."

In John's three Epistles, or letters, we see the heart of a man whose life
is motivated by love; we see also some of the most encouraging verses in
the Bible, one of the most famous is "My dear children, I write this to you
so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks
to the Father in our defenseJesus Christ, the Righteous One"
(1
John 2:1, NIV).

This week we will explore further the life and mission of this pillar of
the early Christian church.

*Study this week's lesson to prepare for Sabbath, August 16.

SUNDAY

August 10

A Special Calling

When Jesus called John and his brother James to follow Him, they were working
in their boat fishing. "And straightway he called them: and they left their
father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him"
(Mark
1:20).

John's decision to follow Jesus and leave his father's business would forever
change his life. Luke gives the most detailed account of Jesus' call
(Luke
5:1-11).

What
verse in
Luke
5:1-11 again conveys what it means to be a follower of Jesus? What, again,
is the point that is being made?

No question, those who follow Jesus need to make a full and complete commitment.
Jesus, as Lord of all, is owed all. Yet, He does not demand our hearts out
of selfishness; no, not at all. Instead, He knows the reality of the battle
that we are in, and if there is any opening, any area of self not surrendered,
the evil one will take advantage and use it to try to destroy us. Thus, we
need to surrender completely to the Lord.

Which John did. And thus, instead of catching fish, John spends the rest
of his life catching people for the kingdom of heaven. From now on, John's
mission field was the worldto carry hope and healing and the good news
to those who desperately needed it. Though he would have some hard lessons
to learn, because he was dedicated to Jesus, he was in a position to learn
them, no matter the pain that would come.

How committed are you to Jesus? Have you forsaken all for Him? How
can you know where your heart truly is? What changes might you need to make?

MONDAY

August 11

Son of Thunder

Jesus gave John and his brother James a special nickname"the sons of
thunder" (or Boanerges in Aramaic). Evidence suggests that this name
referred to their dispositiona disposition that Jesus gently corrects.

Read
Mark
10:35-45. What request do James and John make? How does Jesus respond
to their request? What does this tell us about the character of both these
men?

John and his brother also showed an unhealthy pride. In response to their
request, Jesus asked if they could share His fate. "We can," they boasted
(Mark
10:39).

On another occasion Jesus and His disciples were traveling from Galilee to
Jerusalem. As appears to have been His normal habit, Jesus went directly
through Samaria rather than circumnavigating in order to avoid the hated
Samaritans. He sent James and John ahead to find lodgings for the night.
They approached one village, but when the people learned they were headed
for Jerusalem, they showed no hospitality.

What
does their response to this indignity also reveal about
their character? How much does the beloved John have to learn?Luke
9:54.

What a contrast we can see in the John depicted here in these accounts and
the one who writes the letters he does later. What a changed man; what a
changed personality! No doubt, though, the change did not happen easily or
overnight. John had some hard lessons to learn that enabled him to become
the great missionary that he eventually became.

Recount some of your most recent hard lessons. What did you learn?
What other ways could you have learned what you did other than through suffering?
What other lesson need you to learn? What changes do you need to make in
your life now that, perhaps, could spare you from having to learn them the
hard way?

TUESDAY

August 12

The Witness of John

As an eyewitness who had spent much time in Jesus' company, John had much
to tell, more, in fact, than he could.

Read
John
21:25. What message do you think John was seeking to convey by that
statement? What hope can we find in that text?

Though not able to tell us everything, John, under the guidance of the Holy
Spirit, does teach us one of the most important of all truths, that Jesus
Christ came in human flesh. That is something all the philosophy, science,
and logic could never lead us to. Instead, God uses John to tell it to us.

In the first verse of his Gospel, John refers to the Word, or in Greek, the
logos. To the Jewish reader, the Word referred to the Word of God that
created the world, as well as to His teachings, or law, that guides the way
we should live our lives (see
Deut.
32:45-47).

For the Greek reader, logos had other meanings. The logos was a life
force that kept the universe together. The symmetry of a leaf, the harmony
of the seasons, the stars in the skyall were kept in balance by the
logos. The philosophers Heracleitus, Plutarch, Philo, and Plato, as
well as various stoic philosophers, wrote about the logos.

For both Jewish and Greek readers, John makes a startling claim: This logos
is a person. The logos became flesh and broke into human history in a specific
place at a specific time with a specific purposeto bring salvation
to humanity.

Read
John
1:1-3, 14. What does this mean? In your own words, write out your best
understanding of what the Lord is revealing to us here.

Jesus, our Creator, entered into humanity and became a human being. That
alone is amazing; add to it the reason He came, to die for our sins, and
we are given a revelation of the character of God that should bring us to
our knees in gratefulness, faith, and humble obedience.

WEDNESDAY

August 13

Lifegiver

"But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name"
(John
20:31, NIV).

In these words John summarizes the reason he wrote his Gospel, and the entire
purpose of his lifeto lead people to believe in Jesus in order that
they might gain eternal life. A key theme, all through the New Testament,
is that eternal life exists only in Jesus.

Look
up the following verses to see some of the things John
says about this key theme, that of "life." Also, as you read them, where
can you see how the idea of "life" does not apply only to eternal life but
has immediate implications for life now?

What makes these promises of eternal life so important is that, although
all creatures on earth die, human beings alone are capable of contemplating
the idea of eternity. We alone can grasp the vast gap between our short existence
and the prospect of eternity, and the cold reality of that gap hangs over
us every instant of our liveslives that are just a clogged artery,
a drunken driver, or an AIDS virus away from ending.

What a wonderful hope we have, then, to know that death is not the end; on
the contrary, it is just a sleep that to us will seem like a second, and
the next thing we know we will be with Jesus, for eternity.

How should the hope of eternal life impact how we live now? In what
ways do you live this life differently, knowing that you have the promise
of eternal life?

THURSDAY

August 14

Spending Time With Jesus

"Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that
doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God"
(3
John 11).

What
does John mean about those who had not seen God? What
is his point? How does one see
God?

John had much to learn from Jesus. Even after spending time in His compassionate
presence, John was still protective of his own turf and intolerant of others.
On one occasion he stopped someone from casting out demons in Jesus' name
because he was not an official disciple
(Mark
9:38). Jesus gently taught him that " 'whoever is not against us
is for us' "
(vs.
40, NIV).

John grew in strength of character at the Master's side. At the time of Jesus'
crucifixion, when other disciples had fled, John alone remained at the foot
of the cross. The regard Jesus held for John is shown in the way He entrusted
His mother into John's care
(John
19:26, 27).

Read
2
Corinthians 3:18. What important principle is found there? What practical
ways can we apply this principle to our own lives?

If you read the Epistles of John, you cannot help noting the kindness, the
gentleness, the compassion found all through them. What a profound difference
from the John presented in the Gospels. Truly something utterly remarkable
happened to that man. We, of course, know what it was: He had been with Jesus,
and his life and character had been radically altered from the experience.

Skim through the three Epistles of
1
John,
2
John, and
3
John. Look at the character revealed there. How did Jesus change John's
life? What aspects of your own life could use change, as well? What practical
steps are you taking in order to allow God to bring those changes?

FRIDAY

August 15

Further
Study:

Read Ellen G. White,
"John the Beloved,"
pp. 539-545 in The Acts of the Apostles.

"In the terrible persecution that followed, the apostle John did much to
confirm and strengthen the faith of the believers. He bore a testimony which
his adversaries could not controvert and which helped his brethren to meet
with courage and loyalty the trials that came upon them. When the faith of
the Christians would seem to waver under the fierce opposition they were
forced to meet, the old, tried servant of Jesus would repeat with power and
eloquence the story of the crucified and risen Saviour."Ellen G.
White, The Acts of the Apostles,
p. 568.

"John lived to be very old. He witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem and
the ruin of the stately temple. The last survivor of the disciples who had
been intimately connected with the Saviour, his message had great influence
in setting forth the fact that Jesus was the Messiah, the Redeemer of the
world. No one could doubt his sincerity, and through his teachings many were
led to turn from unbelief."Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles,
p. 569.

Discussion
Questions:

Go through the three Epistles of John again. What other
elements of John's character can be found there? What strong words can you
find there for those who are not following truth? How does this help us
understand what love is all about?

What is your understanding of the idea of character development? How does
it work? How does Jesus change our character? Though the Bible does relate
many supernatural events, is there any event in which a person's character
is changed immediately, supernaturally, in the same way the blind were given
sight or the lepers cured? If not, why not? What does the answer tell us
about the process of character development?

As
a class, talk about the answers to these questions: How loving and accepting
is your local church? What things can you do to help your church become more
loving and accepting of others?

Summary:

Having experienced firsthand the life-giving love of His Savior, the apostle
John let that experience flow into all his words and actions. His life and
writings remind us of the primacy of love in the Christian life and how it
must be the basis of all our mission activity.

I
N S I D E
Story

Midnight Cry in Malawi

by MIKE NYONDO

A group of lay men and women in northern Malawi have a passion for souls.
Although they lack equipment and supplies, they are making an impact on unreached
areas of Malawi.

In one prison where they serve, they held evangelistic meetings, baptizing
100 prisoners. Among those who responded was Samson, a robber. Some prisoners
doubted his sincerity, for he had attended only a few of the meetings. But
Samson testified, "Even though I did not attend the meetings, I listened
from my cell. I heard God's voice calling me, and I have answered."

Several of the newly baptized prisoners have been released and live in northern
Malawi, where they faithfully attend church. The lay evangelists continue
to work in the prison and have held subsequent baptisms.

Few Adventists live along the shores of Lake Malawi, an area dominated by
another Protestant denomination. When Midnight Cry held meetings there,
opposition was strong, and few came the first week. But then attendance picked
up.

When 16-year-old Viyezgo (vee-AY-joh) responded to the first altar call,
his parents were angry and locked him out of the house. He was forced to
sleep outside. But he kept coming to the meetings. His parents tried to send
him to stay with his aunt in Lilongwe, but on his way to the bus station,
he met his aunt, who was coming to visit the family. He walked home with
her then hurried to Lake Malawi to be baptized. When he returned home that
evening, his parents again locked him out of the house. They sent him to
Lilongwe with his aunt, where he attends the Adventist church.

The group is energized
as they see God working through them. God invites every believer to become
a lay evangelist and share His love in their corner of the world.